Method and apparatus for applying articles to thermoplastic materials

ABSTRACT

A method for securing thermoplastic pour spout fitments  22  to thermoplastic-coated containers  20 , wherein at least a surface of the pour spout fitment  22  is heated remotely at heating stations  42-46  to a temperature significantly below the melting point of the thermoplastic fitment. When the heated fitment surface is applied to a selected surface of an erected, thermoplastic-coated container  20 , the heat energy is transferred to the latter surface to an extent capable of activating the thermoplastic coating thereon. Upon cooling, the fitment  22  and the container surface are bonded together.

This application is a 371 of PCT/GB96/02651 filed Oct. 30, 1996, whichclaims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/549,972 filedOct. 30, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,471 issued Feb. 19, 1998.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,868 to bond a flange of a plasticspouring spout to a two-ply thin gauge plastics film of a bag. An annulararea of an axially inner surface of a flange of the spout is so selectedfor heating that the non-heated areas surrounding or close to the heatedarea are sufficient to prevent distortion of the shape of the flange,thus maintaining the flange in the shape in which it has been moulded.At this heated area is a sufficient mass of plastics material that aheat reservoir is created which maintains some of the initially suppliedheat while the fitment is being moved from a flange-heating station to ajoining station where the plastics film is to be applied. The heatcarried is sufficient that merely a sufficiently light pressure to onlymaintain contact between the engaged film and the heated area will beadequate to achieve a joining between the two. At the flange-heatingstation the spout is lifted by a plunger into contact with anelectrical, annular, heating element, to apply the element to the areato be heated; the surface temperature of the element is above the fusiontemperature of the plastics of the flange so as quickly to heat thisannular area above its melting point [for example may be approximately193° C. (380° F.) with polyethylene (PE)] and yet, it is stated, theflange is so supported by the non-heated areas of the flange and theplunger surface that the spout remains undistorted. The contact of theelement with the flange is of a short duration consistent with lack ofdistortion of the plastics material of the flange. In some cases, it maybe necessary to apply heat to the plastics material from both sides. Atthe joining station, the spout is raised by another plunger through anopening in the film and an annular pressing element is brought intolight contact with the film to urge it against the flange. If the flangeand the two-ply film thicknesses are such that the flange does not haveenough heat at engagement to completely activate the thin film, aminimum amount of heat would be added to the film, as for example 127°C. (260° F.) for PE by providing electrical heating of the pressingelement. The heat provided by the latter electrical heating is equal toor less than the heat applied to the flange at the flange-heatingstation and the pressure is very light. The heat will be only sufficientto cause the plastics film to become fluid or mobile, sufficient heathaving been retained in the heated part of the flange so that, over ashort dwell time, molecular diffusion will take place on the interfaceand thereby provide a weld or joining of the parts one to the other.Although the temperature applied to the flange may be well above themelting point of the flange, the subsequent heat at the point of joiningof the thin plastic film and the flange will be only sufficient to havean interfacial temperature in the fluid region of the plastics. Undersome conditions, where an extremely thin plastics film is to be joined,sufficient heat may be available from the thick flange to achievefluidity in the film without the application of heat at the joiningstation.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,444 discloses a method of heat-sealing athermoplastic pour spout fitment to the exterior surface of one of twoadjacent sheets of thermoplastic material to form a bag. A length ofthermoplastic bag tubing is heat-sealed at both ends. The fitment andthe tubing are of compatible materials. Radiant heat, for example froman infra-red heater bar, is directed at the bottom surface of thefitment, which surface is formed with an annular rib, or a plurality ofconcentric annular ribs. Heat can also be provided by a hot plate incontact with the rib(s). The heat is applied for a length of timesufficient to reduce the rib(s) to a softened or molten state,appropriate for heat sealing. The fitment is then pressed against theouter surface of an upper wall of the bag, for example by means of anappropriately shaped anvil. To reduce the possibility of adherence atthe interface of the two walls of the bag, a water-cooled chamber isplaced in contact with the outer surface of the lower wall so as toconduct heat away from the interface. The or each rib, which iscontinuous so as to provide a liquid-tight seal between the bag and thefitment, is thereby fused to the outer surface of the upper wall of thebag. Immediately prior to filling the bag, the bag wall at the openingof the fitment is punctured to permit filling of the bag through thefitment and then the fitment is closed by a cap. The fitment surfaceagainst which the heat is directed is of a large area relative to thecross-sectional area of the rib(s), so that only the rib(s) is/arereduced to a softened or molten state.

Hereto, pour spout fitments have been secured to thermoplastic-coatedcontainer panels by various methods.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,578, the following method is employed: A mandrelis inserted into the interior of the still-open mouth of the container,with the mandrel abutting the interior surface of a barrier layer andforming a back-up support. Hot air or radiant heat is applied to theexternal surface of a gable top wall immediately around an opening tothereby soften the polyethylene coating, with a pour spout fitmentflange placed on the softened layer to thereby adhere the flange to thewall. An external mandrel is also employed to press the assembly againstthe internally positioned mandrel. This pressure is maintained until thecoating cools and thereby effects permanent adhesion of the flange tothe wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,578 discloses that other methods, such asultrasonic adhesion and impulse heating, may be employed.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,695 merely recites that attachment to thepolymer-coated paperboard panel is accomplished by welding or otherwiseadhering a spout fitment flange to the polymer coating.

U.S. Pat. No.5,110,041 discloses that dual lanes of pour spout fitmentsealing apparatus are integrated in line with conventionalform/fill/seal production lines. Pre-sided carton blanks are opened totube configurations and placed in flight pockets on an indexing conveyorfor step-wise advance to each fitment sealing apparatus. At the sealingapparatus, the fitments are gravity-fed down a track and releasedone-by-one by an escapement to a pair of fitment retaining clampspositioned in front of the spout hole of each carton blank advanced tothe sealing apparatus. A timing control causes the clamps to move apartat the same time as an ultrasonic sealing horn advances to press thefitment into contact with the outside thermoplastics layer of the blankand an anvil is inserted into the blank. The horn is energized to sealthe fitment to the blank, the horn and the anvil are retracted, and theclamps are moved back to receive the next fitment. In an alternativeembodiment, the fitment is sealed to the outside layer by hot-metaladhesive which is applied to the sealing surface of the fitment justprior to pressing the fitment against the outside layer. Heat may beapplied to tackify the adhesive by a hot anvil or sealing head equippedwith heating elements.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,562 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,438 each utilize anultrasonic sealing horn and a back-up support mandrel operative aroundrespective pouring apertures.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,015 discloses the use of an ultrasonic horn to bonda flange of a pour spout fitment to an inner or back surface of acontainer panel around a pouring aperture.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,640 suggests fusing a pour spout flange to an insidesurface of a carton gable top either thermally or ultrasonically.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,643 states that a pour spout fitment is preferablyadhered to the outer surface of a container panel by impulse heatingunder pressure such as ultrasonic sealing although other methods may beused as desired.

DE-A-3838739 discloses a method in which a thermoplastic disc is appliedto the outside thermoplastic layer of the laminate of the container sothat the middle of the disc is sealed to the thermoplastic inside layerof the container through an opening through the paperboard layer. Thenthe disc is heated so that it becomes plastic and a tubular spout isinserted into the opening so that the thermoplastics of the disc issealingly present between the inner edge of the opening and the outsideof the spout.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,034, WO-A-93/02923 and WO-A-95/21734 discloseadhesively bonding a pour spout fitment by a hot melt glue to a topouter surface of a container. W093/02923 discloses a method whichincludes applying a hot-melt adhesive to a fitment, allowing theadhesive to solidify, introducing the fitment to a fitment applicatormachine, indexing the fitment through a heating station of the machine,and reactivating the adhesive by radiant pre-heating and convectionfinal heating thereat, mechanically picking up the fitment, introducingthe filled and sealed container to the machine, and conveying thecontainer to a position in which the fitment is placed on a containerand attached thereto. After indexing through the heating station, wherethe hot-melt adhesive is reactivated, the fitments approach a rotatingturret wheel via a heating station conveyor where they are grasped bypick-up devices mounted on the turret. The pick-up devices transfer thefitments to the containers where the fitments are then held in place onthe containers by the pick-up devices until the fitments are fullyadhered. The machine may be equipped with a programmed control system toindicate fault conditions. Various malfunctions may be indicated, suchas: vibrating track (for fitments) empty, feeder hopper (for fitments)empty, hopper low, fitment jam, low temperature, low air pressure,downstream jam, etc.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,999 suggests that a spout or closure be attached toa package too by any suitable means such as an adhesive applied to abottom surface of the closure to be attached to the package top; it alsosuggests, where the package is coated with an outer thermoplastic layerof polyethylene, which discourages such adhesion, the use of perimetercuts which may be serrated or applied as perforated cuts. Suchserrations or perforated cuts need only penetrate the polyethylene outerlayer to allow the adhesive to bond with the underlying carrier or paperlayer.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,168 discloses attaching a pour spout fitment to theoutside of a roof panel of a filled and sealed gable-top carton. Aheater is inserted into a space between the fitment and the roof paneland heats both the bottom surface of the thermoplastics fitment and theoutside thermoplastics coating of the roof panel; the heater is thenwithdrawn and the bottom surface of the fitment is applied to theoutside coating.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of attaching an article to a thermoplastic layer of a laminatewithout using hot-melt adhesive, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an article;

heating a thermoplastic portion of the article;

placing that heated portion of the article on a portion of thethermoplastic layer to heat and thus activate said portion of thethermoplastic layer, said portion of the article being of a thermalcapacity higher than that of said portion of the layer; and

allowing or causing the heated portions of the article and the layer tocool, to thereby become bonded together;

characterized in that said heating is to a temperature no higher thanthe melting point of the thermoplastic of said portion of the article.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to avoid theserious risk of distortion of the thermoplastic portion of the articlewhich arises if that portion is heated to higher than the melting pointof its thermoplastic. It is, surprisingly, feasible to heat that portionto a temperature no higher than one significantly below the meltingpoint of its thermoplastic and still obtain good bonding together of theportions in question.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of attaching an article to a thermoplastic material withoutusing hot-melt adhesive, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an article in the form of a pour spout fitment;

heating a thermoplastic portion of the article, said heating beingwithout contact between any heating member and said portion of thearticle;

placing that heated portion of the article on a portion of thethermoplastic material to heat and thus activate said portion of thethermoplastic material, and

allowing or causing the heated portions of said article and saidmaterial to cool, to thereby become bonded together,

characterized in that said thermoplastic material is a thermoplasticcoating on a paperboard layer of a laminate in the form of an erectedcontainer.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, at is possible to avoid theserious risk of distortion of the thermoplastic portion of the pourspout fitment which arises if that portion is contacted by a heatingmember. Furthermore, there is less need for the heating means to beshaped to suit the shape of the fitment. Radiant heating or directheating by streams of hot gaseous fluid is particularly suitable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of attaching an article to a thermoplastic material withoutusing hot-melt adhesive, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an article;

heating a thermoplastic portion of the article;

placing, by placing means, that heated portion of the article on aportion of the thermoplastic material to heat and thus activate saidportion of the thermoplastic material, and

allowing or causing the heated portions of said article and saidmaterial to cool, to thereby become bonded together,

characterized in that said allowing or causing is accompanied byadvancing said article, said thermoplastic material and said placingmeans in unison.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is providedapparatus for use in attaching an article to a thermoplastic materialwithout hot-melt adhesive, comprising:

heating means for heating a thermoplastic portion of said article; and

placing means for placing that heated portion of the article on aportion of said material to heat and thus activate said portion of saidmaterial;

characterized by advancing means for advancing said material along apath; and

driving means connected to said placing means for displacing saidplacing means and thus said article along said path in unison with saidmaterial.

Owing to these aspects of the invention, it is possible to ensure thatthe article becomes reliably bonded to the thermoplastic material evenif the material is being advanced at a relatively high rate duringcooling; not only can the placing means serve to hold the article in afixed position relative to the advancing material, but it can beprovided with cooling means which can cool the heated portions as theyadvance.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is providedapparatus for use in attaching an article to a thermoplastic material,comprising:

advancing means for advancing said material along a path;

heating means for heating a thermoplastic portion of said article;

placing means for placing that heated portion of the article on aportion of said material to heat and thus activate said portion of saidmaterial;

material-loading means arranged to load said material onto saidadvancing means; and

article-loading means arranged to load said article onto said placingmeans;

characterized by material-detecting means arranged to detect saidmaterial in correct position ready for loading onto said advancingmeans;

and article-detecting means arranged to detect said article in correctposition ready for loading onto said placing means;

the arrangement being such that neither said material-loading means norsaid article-loading means is operable unless said material-detectingmeans detects such correctly positioned material and saidarticle-detecting means detects such correctly positioned article.

Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to avoid either ofthe article and the material being loaded when the other is not in itscorrect position ready for loading.

Preferably, cooling means is connected to the placing means for coolingthe placing means and thereby the heated portions of the article and thematerial, the placing means being cooled throughout the heating, andalso subsequently to cause the heated portions of the article and thematerial to cool, to thereby become bonded together. In this manner, thecooling serves the two purposes of preventing overheating of the placingmeans and of causing bonding together of the article and the material.

The advancing may be continuous or indexed and may be linear or rotary.

The invention is particularly applicable to securing a thermoplasticarticle to a thermoplastic coating of a laminate, in particular securinga thermoplastic, pour spout fitment to a thermoplastic-coated container.Preferably, at least an anchoring flange of the pour spout fitment isheated remotely by a suitable heating mechanism, to a predeterminedtemperature below the melting point of the thermoplastic of the flange,such that, when the fitment is applied to a selected surface of thethermoplastic-coated container, the thermal energy is transferred to thelatter surface at a rate capable of activating the thermoplasticcoating; upon cooling, the fitment and the container surface bondtogether. Although the present system can be employed to fix the fitmentto the container before filling of the container, it is particularlyapplicable downstream of any forming, filling and sealing apparatus forthe container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a thermoplastic-coated paperboard blank havingbeen formed, scored and cut from a laminate web;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a gable-top container formed fromthe blank of FIG. 1, and of a pour spout fitment to be mounted on thecontainer;

FIG. 2A is a fragmentary, top perspective view of a flat-top containerformed from a suitable blank;

FIG. 2B is a fragmentary, top perspective view of a one-sided slant-topcontainer formed from a suitable blank;

FIG. 2C is a fragmentary, top perspective view of a slant-top containerformed without a gable;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary plan views of alternate arrangements of apart of the FIG. 1 blank;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the plane of theline 5—5 of FIG. 4, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary schematic view illustrating, in principle, thepour spout fitment of FIG. 2 being heated by an external heater;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating, in principle, the fitmentbeing applied to the container of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic, top plan view of an apparatus for applyingsuch pour spout fitments to such containers;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a fitment-loading part of a container—andfitment-loading station;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of one of a plurality of identicalfitment-applicators of the apparatus;

FIG. 11 is vertical axial section through a rotary turret of theapparatus;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the turret, particularly illustrating therouting of cooling water through the turret;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of an upper part of the turret, showing thesame in more detail; and

FIG. 14 is a top perspective view of three heating stations of theapparatus.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows athermoplastic-coated blank 10 which has been scored and cut from alaminate web comprised of paperboard coated on both faces with asuitable polymer, for example polyethylene. The blank has a pour spoutopening 12 (see the blank 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2) or a weakened circularscore line 14 (FIG. 3) or a partially cut circular line 16 (FIGS. 4 and5) formed in a panel 18 thereof. The blank 10 is formed into gable-topcontainer 20 (FIG. 2). However, blanks of other designs may be formedinto a flat-top container 20A (FIG. 2A), a one-sided slant-top container20B (FIG. 2B), or a slant-top container 20C (FIG. 2C), in well knownmanners on typical forming, filling and sealing machines (not shown)

A pour spout fitment 22 includes a body 24 and an external mountingflange 26. It may incorporate any preferred design insofar as theinternal openable configuration is concerned.

After having been formed, filled, and sealed, the container 20, 20A,20B, or 20C, is ready to receive the pour spout fitment 22. The fitment22 may be formed of any suitable material, such as high densitypolyethylene (HDPE). By any suitable placing means, diagrammaticallyrepresented as 32 (FIGS. 6 and 7), the fitment 22 is presented so thatthe bottom surface 28 (FIG. 6) of the flange 26 is subjected to heat ata predetermined temperature without melting or combusting, from asuitable heater, represented as 30. Upon its flange 26 reaching atemperature which is still significantly (say at least 5° C., preferablybetween 5° C. and 15° C.) below its melting point, the pour spoutfitment 22 is placed by the placing means 32 onto the panel 18 aroundthe opening 12 or the weakened score line 14 or the partially cut line16.

It should be noted that the thermal energy required to be supplied tothe flange 26 by the heater 30 depends upon various parameters, such as:

a. the melting point of the material,

b. the storage temperature of the spouts,

c. the ambient temperature on the machine, and

d. the humidity.

By the time of contact with the polyethylene-coated panel 18, thesurface 28 of the heated fitment 22 has absorbed and retained sufficientheat to activate the polyethylene on the contacted surface of the panel.Upon cooling, the flange 26 and the panel 18 become bonded together.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 14, the apparatus shown is intended to beincluded at the downstream end of a carton form-fill-seal machine. Thecartons 20 advancing in an indexed manner from a top sealing station ofthe machine are diverted from a conveyor path 34 (employed for cartonswhich are to be delivered to the customer without pour spout fitments20) onto a conveyor branch path 36 which extends past a rotary turret 38before rejoining the path 34. The turret 38 has eight stationsdistributed in a horizontal ring. A carton-and fitment-loading station40, into which the cartons are loaded in turn by a carton infeedmechanism 41, is followed in, a clockwise sense, by a plurality of, inthis case three, heating stations 42, 44 and 46, a plurality of, in thiscase three, empty stations 48, 50 and 52, and a discharge station 54. Adischarge wheel 56 returns the cartons 20, now provided with thefitments 22, to the conveyor branch path 36.

The rotary turret 38 comprises upper and lower discs 58 and 60 of whichthe disc 58 is fixed to a rotary, central, driving column 62 mounted atits lower end in an annular bearing 64. The disc 58 carries vertical,externally threaded rods (of which one is shown and referenced 66)turnable about their own axes by driven pinions (of which one is shownand referenced 68). The lower disc 60 is mounted on the rods 66 by wayof running nuts (of which one is shown and referenced 70) which arefixed to the disc 60 and whereby turning of the rods 66 adjusts thevertical position of the disc 60, to adjust for different heights ofcarton 20 to be advanced by the discs 58 and 60, a lower position of thedisc 60 for a taller carton 20 being shown in full lines and a higherposition of the disc 60 for a shorter carton 20 being shown in dot-dashlines in FIG. 11. The disc 58 is formed with a plurality of, in thiscase eight, peripheral recesses 72 which receive the cartons 20 anddirectly beneath which are respective brackets 74 which support thecartons and which are fixed on the disc 60. Fixed to the disc 58 abovethe column 62 is an inlet/outlet piece 76 for cooling water.

Radially aligned with the respective recesses 72 and fixed to the topsurface of the disc 58 are fitment-applicator 78 includingfitment-placers 79 which receive respective fitments 22 at the loadingstation 40, present the axially outermost surfaces of the flanges 26 tojets of hot air emitted by nozzles 80 at the heating stations 42 to 46whereby the temperature of each flange is raised to a levelsignificantly below its melting point, rapidly apply each hot fitmentflange 26 to its carton 20 between the stations 46 and 48, press theflanges 26 onto their cartons 20 from the stations 48 to 52, duringwhich movement the fitments 22 and the cartons 20 are indirectly cooledby the cooling water introduced at the piece 76 to bond the flanges 26to the cartons 20, and lift from each fitment 22 between the stations 52and 54. Each placer 79 includes a holder 82 formed with a recess 84 forreceiving the body 24 of the fitment 22, with the flange 26 remainingoutside the holder. A leaf spring 86 retains the body 24 in the recess84 against the action of a plunger 88 urged axially outwards by ahelical compression spring 90. The placer 79 is attached, in such manneras to be adjsutable about a horizontal axis, to an elbow 92 itself fixedto a horizontal hollow pivot 94 extending tangentially to a circleconcentric with the disc 58. Mounted on the elbow 92 so as to beswivelleable about a radious of the pivot 94 is a fork 96 which embracesa camming ring 98 and which mounts roller followers 100 which closelyreceive the ring 98 between them. The pivot 94 is mounted in a bearing102 fixed to a plate 104 itself fixed to the disc 58. The ring 98, whichis fixed to the machine frame by way of brackets (106), guides thenodding motion of the assembly 79, 92, 94, 96, 100 about the axis of thepivot 94 as the applicator 78 rotates with the disc 58, the assemblyperforming one oscillation for each revolution of the applicator 78.

At the loading station 40, the fitments 22 are fed one after anotherdown a track 108 to a loading head 110, where a detector 111 detects thepresence of a fitment in the correct position in the head 110. Thefitment is pushed horizontally from the head 110 into the placer 79 bymeans of a pneumatic piston-and-cylinder device 112, when the placer 79arrives at the station 40, in which it has an upright orientation, asillustrated in FIG. 9, and which it retains until it leaves the finalheating station 46. However, the fitment is not pushed from the head 110unless a detector 113 detects the presence of a carton at 20′ in thebranch path 36 ready to be loaded by the mechanism 41. Since, inaddition, the carton at 20′ is not infed by the mechanism unless thedetector 111 detects a correctly positioned fitment 22 in the head 110,the risk of a carton being loaded without a fitment being loaded, orvice versa, is avoided. At the first heating, station 42, the flange 26directly faces the hot air nozzle 80 of the station 42, while thesurface portion of the roof of the gable top carton 20 to which theflange 26 is to be applied directly faces another nozzle 114 throughwhich hot air is applied. At the second and third heating stations 44and 46, the flange 26 again directly faces their nozzles 80 and isfurther heated by the air jets therefrom, to raise the temperature ofthe flange stepwise. The three nozzles 80 are fed with hot air from amanifold 116 supplied through thermally insulated ducting 118. Thenozzle 114 at the station 42 is followed by corresponding nozzles at thestations 44 and 46, and the three nozzles 114 are fed from a manifold120 supplied through thermally insulated ducting 122. Thereby, thetemperature of that surface portion of the roof of the carton is heatedprogressively to a temperature rendering that surface portion asepticand dry. As the carton and the fitment leave the station 46, theassembly 79, 92, 94, 96, 100 is turned by the camming ring 98 to nod theplacer 79 forwards and downwards to apply the fitment to the carton. Theplacer 79 retains that downwardly nodded orientation for its travelbetween the stations 48 and 52.

The cartons 20 and the fitments 22 are continuously cooled throughouttheir travel round the turret, by cooling water passed through theholders 82, the pivots 94, and through pairs of carton-locating members124 fixed to the top surface of the disc 58 at respective opposite sidesof the respective recesses 72. This cooling water is supplied to theholders 82, the elbows 92 and the members 124 from the piece 76, theoutward and return routes of the water being indicated by the arroweddot-dash lines 126 in FIG. 12, examples of the actual ducting beingshown at 126 in FIGS. 10 and 14. It is the presence of the cooling waterbetween the stations 46 and 52 which progressively cools the flange 26and the carton 20 between those stations, to bond the flange firmly tothe carton. As the carton (now carrying the fitment) and the placer 79leave the station 52, the placer 79 is turned, by the ring 98, back intoits upright orientation ready to receive another fitment 26.

It appears from experiments that, if the flange 26 and the outermostcoating of the container are of the same thermoplastics material, theflange should be of significantly greater thickness than the coating inorder to be able to store enough thermal energy to cause the coatingsurface to fuse thereto when the flange is applied to the coating. Italso appears that the material(s) arrangements of the fitment and of thelaminate should be such that heat can be readily dissipated from theflange but not from the coating, since otherwise the temperature of thecoating might never rise to a level such that the coating becomes tackyor molten for bonding purposes.

It is not essential that the thermoplastic coating to be heated shouldbe on the container; instead, the flange 26 could be the heat-receivingmaterial such as a laminate with an external thermoplastic coating, andthe container the heat-giving article. The container could then be aplastics bottle or a laminate carton with a thick external thermoplasticlayer portion.

EXAMPLE

In an example of successful bonding of a pour spout fitment to alaminate container, a pour spout fitment of LDPE (low densitypolyethylene) with a flange thickness of 1 mm. was heated to atemperature of 110° C. to 121° C. (230° F. to 250° F.) and applied tothe outermost layer of a gable-topped carton consisting of a laminate0.71 mm. thick and containing the following layers progressing inwardlyof the carton:

(i) an outermost layer of LDPE of 14 grams/ream

(ii) a paperboard layer of 272 grams/ream

(iii) an LDPE layer of 18 grams/ream

(iv) an Al (Aluminium) foil layer of 24 grams/ream

(v) a “SURLYN” layer of 6 grams/ream

(vi) an innermost layer of LDPE of 50 grams/ream.

It may be desirable to pre-heat the surface of the container to becontacted by the heated fitment 22, in order to ensure that such surfaceis aseptic and dry.

Industrial Applicability

It should be apparent that the invention provides a novel method ofapplying a pour spout fitment to a thermoplastic-coated container.

It should also be apparent that, by heating a pour spout fitment to apredetermined temperature remote from a thermoplastic-coated container,there is no need for employing the heretofore well known methods of (1)applying heat to a container surface in conjunction with pressureagainst a flange of the pour spout fitment, wherein the containersurface is backed up by a support mechanism, such as a mandrel or ananvil; or (2) applying ultrasonic vibration and pressure to a fitmentflange and container panel combination; or (3) applying a hot melt or anadhesive to the bottom surface of a fitment and mounting same on acontainer panel.

It should be still further apparent that the erected or formed containerprovides a box-type support, capable of being subjected to theapplication pressure involved, without the need for a mandrel or anvilback-up, as heretofore used to withstand the sealing pressures required.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of attaching an article to athermoplastic layer of a laminate without using hot-melt adhesive, themethod comprising the steps of: providing an article; heating athermoplastic portion of the article to a temperature no higher than themelting point of the thermoplastic substance of said portion of thearticle; placing that heated portion of the article on a portion of thethermoplastic layer to heat said portion of the thermoplastic layer andthus convert said portion of the thermoplastic layer from a non-tackycondition to a tacky condition, said portion of the article having athermal capacity higher than that of said portion of the layer; and oneof allowing and causing the heated portions of the article and the layerto cool, to thereby become bonded together.
 2. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said temperature is below said melting point.
 3. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein said article is a pour spoutfitment.
 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said laminatecomprises a paperboard layer coated with said thermoplastic layer.
 5. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein said portion of said thermoplasticlayer is pre-heated to a predetermined temperature to assure that saidportion of said thermoplastic layer is dry.
 6. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said laminate is in the form of an erected container.7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the placing step is precededby forming, filling, and sealing the container.
 8. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said heating is without contact between any heatingmember and said portion of the article.
 9. A method according to claim1, wherein said article and said thermoplastic layer move in unisonwhile said portions are allowed or caused to cool, and wherein saidplacing is performed by a placing device which moves with said articleand said thermoplastic layer while said portions are allowed or causedto cool.
 10. A method of attaching an article to a thermoplastic coatingon a paperboard layer of a laminate in the form of an erected container,without using hot-melt adhesive, the method comprising the steps of:pre-heating a portion of said coating to a predetermined temperature toassure that said portion of said coating is dry; providing an article inthe form of a pour spout fitment; heating a thermoplastic portion of thearticle, said heating being without contact between any heating memberand said portion of the article; placing that heated portion of thearticle on the, pre-heated portion of the thermoplastic coating to heatsaid portion of the thermoplastic coating and thus convert said portionof the thermoplastic coating from a non-tacky condition to a tackycondition, and one of allowing and causing the heated portions of saidarticle and said coating to cool, to thereby become bonded together. 11.A method according to claim 10, wherein said placing is preceded byforming, filling, and sealing the container.
 12. A method of attachingan article to a thermoplastic material without using hot-melt adhesive,the method comprising the steps of: providing an article; heating athermoplastic portion of the article; placing, by a placing device, thatheated portion of the article on a portion of the thermoplastic materialto heat said portion of the thermoplastic material and thus convert saidportion of the thermoplastic material from a non-tacky condition to atacky condition, and one of allowing and causing the heated portions ofsaid article and said material to cool, to thereby become bondedtogether, said one of allowing and causing being accompanied byadvancing said article, said thermoplastic material and said placingdevice in unison.
 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein saidarticle is a pour spout fitment and said thermoplastic coating on apaperboard layer of a laminated in the form of an erected container. 14.A method according to claim 13, wherein said placing is preceded byforming, filling, and sealing the container.
 15. A method according toclaim 12, wherein said placing device carries said article past aheating device which performs said heating.
 16. A method according toclaim 12, and further comprising cooling said placing device and therebycausing said heated portions to cool as aforesaid.
 17. Apparatus for usein attaching an article to a thermoplastic material without hot-meltadhesive, comprising: a heater adapted to heat a thermoplastic portionof said article; placing means for placing that heated portion of thearticle on a portion of said material to heat and thus activate saidportion of said material; advancing means for advancing said materialalong a path; and driving means connected to said placing means fordisplacing said placing means and thus said article along said path inunison with said material; said heater not being adapted to heat saidportion of said material.
 18. Apparatus according to claim 17, andfurther comprising cooling means connected to said placing means forcooling said placing means and thereby the heated portions of saidarticle and said material.
 19. Apparatus according to claim 17, andfurther comprising endless camming means arranged to oscillate saidplacing means about an axis and transversely of said path between anarticle-receiving orientation and an article-placing orientation. 20.Apparatus according to claim 19, and further comprising swivelling camfollower means embracing said endless canmming means and connected tosaid placing means so as to oscillate therewith about said axis but soas to be rotatable relative thereto about a second axis substantiallyperpendicular to the first-mentioned axis.
 21. Apparatus according toclaim 17, and further comprising material-loading means arranged to loadsaid material onto said advancing means, material-detecting meansarranged to detect said material in correct position ready for loadingonto said advancing means, article-loading means arranged to load saidarticle onto said placing means, and article-detecting means arranged todetect said article in correct position ready for loading onto saidplacing means, the arrangement being such that neither saidmaterial-loading means nor said article-loading means is operable unlesssaid material-detecting means detects such correctly positioned materialand said article-detecting means detects such correctly positionedarticle.
 22. Apparatus for use in attaching an article to athermoplastic material, comprising: advancing means for advancing saidmaterial along a path; a heater adapted to heat a thermoplastic portionof said article; placing means for placing that heated portion of thearticle on a portion of said material to heat and thus activate saidportion of said material; material-loading means arranged to load saidmaterial onto said advancing means; and article-loading means arrangedto load said article onto said placing means; material-detecting meansarranged to detect said material in correct position ready for loadingonto said advancing means; and article-detecting means arranged todetect said article in correct position ready for loading onto saidplacing means; the arrangement being such that neither saidmaterial-loading means nor said article-loading means is operable unlesssaid material-detecting means detects such correctly positioned materialand said article-detecting means detects such correctly positionedarticle, said heater not being adapted to heat said portion of saidmaterial.
 23. A method of applying a pour spout fitment to athermoplastic coating on paperboard of a larninate, the methodcomprising the steps of: providing a pour spout fitment; heating athermoplastic portion of the fitment; placing, by a placing device, thatheated portion of the fitment on a portion of the thermoplastic coatingto heat said portion of the thermoplastic coating and thus convert saidportion-of the thermoplastic coating from a non-tacky condition to atacky condition, cooling said placing device throughout said heating,and also subsequently to cause the heated portions of said fitment andsaid coating to cool, to thereby become bonded together, and pressingsaid placing device against said fitment and thus said fitment againstsaid portion of the thermoplastic coating during that cooling of saidheated portions.